There are many types of conventional gutter debris preclusion devices (gutter guard systems). These gutter guard systems generally span the opening of a gutter and are designed to keep leaves and debris from entering a gutter while allowing the water to pass through to the gutter. One problem experienced by all different types of gutter guard systems in certain environments is that when freezing temperatures are encountered, water on and adjacent the gutter guard will freeze, and preclude water from passing into the gutter. When such gutter guard performance is inhibited, freeze and thaw cycles can result in dangerously large icicles forming off of edges of the gutters or other portions of the roof. Furthermore, the weight of the snow and ice on the gutter guard can potentially damage the gutter or gutter guard, or at least require that it be designed to withstand high loads, increasing the complexity, and cost of the gutter guards. Gutter guards that experience these freezing issues are called non-de-icing gutter guards.
Another problem with non-de-icing gutter guards is “ice dams” can form. Particularly, the heat from the inside of a building can transfer out to the roof and begins melting snow. The melted snow run-off goes down the roof and when melted snow then encounters the portion of the roof overhanging the building, which is general of a freezing temperature, the melted snow begins to freeze again. This creates a build up of a wall of frozen water. Then the water begins to pool above the ice dam and then the melted snow, with nowhere else to go, will tend to find it's way through the roof and into the home, causing damage.
There are many various prior art gutter guard systems that attempt to address this problem, such as a system described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,167 and the devices described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,079,183 and 8,438,787. Each of these patents are incorporated herein in their respective entireties. Each of these systems and devices and other conventional devices, which attempt to de-ice have certain drawbacks. And the present invention overcomes these drawbacks.